The purpose of this article is to explain the protomorphogen concept and its complex
relationship to both cell growth and immunity. This article also
addresses the interrelation between the various organs and glands that provide natural
resistance and adaptive immune response.

The body is an immune system in that every cell has immune capabilities even though a
specialized system has evolved to carry the primary responsibility of immune
response. According to many early scientists, immune response is not
the only function of our "immune system". The other primary function
is that of regulation of cellular growth and repair from conception through old age. This has
not been recognized by traditional medicine.

Evidence for this dual function has been around since the 1930s when Dr. Royal Lee and other
scientists began researching cell growth. In numerous lectures and
books, Lee explained the complex interrelationships between immune response, normal and
abnormal cell growth, and autoimmunity. He formulated supplements of
animal derived products that could normalize and heal the immune system and virtually every
organ type in the human body, Lee called these supplements
protomorphogens (PMGs). The word is derived from the Greek
"proto" meaning primary and "morphogen" meaning form or structure of the initial
element. PMG references the specific cytotrophic cellular material
extracted from the cell nucleus containing the nucleoprotein. The
nucleoprotein contains the genetic DNA and RNA which regulates the structural regeneration of
the cell. PMGs are not the DNA/RNA- but the chromosome end products
made in the cell nucleus and are the agents or blueprints by which the basic functions of the
chromosomes are exercised.

Lectures by Dr. Royal Lee, Volume I, page
168.

A protomorphogen is a cell secretion given off by all living cells at all times in minute
amounts that promotes the synthesis of protein for cell repair and cell maintenance on the
outside of the cell wall, after which it is absorbed by the cell.
Protomorphogens are chromosome end products, made in the cell nucleus, probably the agents by
which the basic functions of the chromosome are exercised. All
living proteins carry a protomorphogen component by which the protein is made specific in
nature, specific in causing organic reactions, specific in function, specific in its ability
to act as an antigen in provoking immune reactions. All antigens may
be antigenic by reason of accompanying protomorphogens, in some cases instead of being
attached to a protein molecule, the protomorphogen may be attached to a lipoid or
polysaccharide aggregate. When a protein has been separated from a
promotomorphogen, it is said to be denatured and is no longer fully capable of antigenic
action; that is, cannot create an antibody specific to it in the circumstance of its
injection into an animal blood stream.

Since no cell can grow or maintain itself unless protomorphogens, as
secreted by itself, are available in the pericellular fluids, it is obvious that here we have
the possible biological growth regulator. Suppose that the
immune-body producing mechanism, heretofore looked upon only as a defense against invading
organisms (cells) from the outside, were to be found to exert the
same controlling action on every organ and cell of the body, we
would have the answer to the long-sought questions of why animal organs and living creatures
in general were able to regulate their cell growth exactly according to a well-ordered plan.

We find, on investigation, that there is just such a reaction of the immune body producing
mechanism (the reticuloendothelial system) and it has been described under the general
designation of "Natural Tissue Antibody" (NTA).

The PMGs formulated by Dr. Lee were not intended to provide nutrients to the body, but rather
they were to provide the genetic blueprints to facilitate in reprogramming the particular
cell type to produce normal healthy cells. In the manufacture
of the PMG, the specific animal organ is "burned" to very high temperatures to get rid of
organic materials and isolate the mineral chains that make up the protomorphogen. This ensures that no toxic material remains.

Let us look at how cells divide. All cells divide by the same
process whether they are bacterial or human liver cells. They all divide by the same
mechanism. If you place bacteria in a petri dish with culture media, the cells will not start
dividing immediately. This is called the "lag time." Then the cells
start rapidly dividing-tapering off until they stop.

If bacteria are taken from the culture during rapid growth and placed in new cultures, they
will then start the process over-lag time, rapid growth, etc.
However, if you place some of the old media into the new culture with the bacteria, the
organisms will not experience a lag time, but will resume rapid growth.

This phenomenon led Dr. Lee and other scientists to theorize that a substance (heretofore
unknown) which regulates growth exists both in the culture and in the bacteria itself. The
concentration gradient both inside the cell and outside the cell regulates cell growth.

Dr. Lee termed this substance "protomorphogen". Dr. Lee's theory was
derived from (and later verified by) the work of many other scientists working along the same
lines. They gave this substance other names:

Allelocatalyst - T.B. Robertson

Cytost - F. Turck

Archusia/Ergusia - M.T.Burrows

Proteinozen - J. H. Northrup

Protogene - G.W. Beadle

X-substance - Mast and Pace

Biophores - M.R. Drennan

Heat stable growth inhibitor - Alexis Carrel

Protomorphogen - Dr. Royal Lee

Mycrozyma - Antoine Bechamp

Lee felt that all of these substances were really different names for the growth factors of
the living cells or PMGs. They can be thought of as the blueprints
for different cell types. Protomorphogens are in reality mineral
chains whose sequencing determine the amino acid (protein) structure of individual cell
types. In living tissues these minerals are organically bound and accompanied by
enzymes.

Antoine Bechamp was the most notable of scientists working along the same lines as Dr.
Lee. Bechamp was a contemporary (and adversary) of Louis
Pasteur. Bechamp's theory, later confirmed by other scientists, was
that "disease" is not produced primarily by invading bacteria but is actually perpetuated in
an unhealthy, unbalanced body by the body's own cells. The cells
themselves produce pathogens like bacteria, fungi, and viruses instead of normal healthy
cells. The theory also stated that all chronic and infectious
illnesses have a microbial component not currently recognized by orthodox
medicine. "Non-self" pathogens may provide a template for illness,
but healthy individuals do not succumb. The existing toxic internal
environment allows the disease to manifest. One does not really
"catch" a cold--a cold is produced due to an imbalanced, toxic and malnourished environment.

Bechamp saw what he termed "mycrozymas" in the protoplasm of living cells and considered them
to be the fundamental unit of living tissue (Lee's PMGs). Bechamp disputed the "germ theory"
and stated that the cause of disease was internal dysfunction not an external
invasion. Invading pathogens could only cause illness in an
unhealthy body by acting as a template to dividing cells. Pasteur,
near the end of his life, confirmed Bechamp's theories; however, traditional medicine was
already firmly entrenched in the "germ theory" model.

Royal Rife, a friend of Dr. Lee, believed as did Bechamp in the theory of pleomorphism-the
ability of a microorganism to change form in a living system. In
other words, bacteria could change into a fungus or virus or vice versa. He also believed that the human body could produce these microorganisms instead of
normal healthy cells. Rife invented a very powerful light microscope
where he could see them "pleomorph". He also invented a machine
called the Rife machine which produced sound frequencies that "burst" specific
microorganisms. He was able to see these pathogens, find the
"resonant frequency" of the specific organism and produce the sound frequency--thus causing
the organism (and it only) to self destruct. Rife used this machine
to "terminate" cancer cells in infected individuals in the middle 1900s. Several books have been written by Barry Lyons about Rife's story, including The
Cancer Cure that Worked. Rife was discredited and was finally
run out of the country, a destitute man.

Another maverick scientist who agreed with the concept of pleomorphism was Gaston Naessens
(1924). He developed the somatoscope in the late 1940s with a
resolution of 150 angstroms. With the use of this scope, he
identified the PMG (or somatid, or mycrozyma) and actually observed various microbes change
forms to other pathogens. He clearly demonstrated the 16 stages of the "somatid cycle," thus
affirming that disease is not an issue of external invasion but an issue of weakened immune
capacity. (The 16 stages show how single cells can "pleomorph" or
change into other different microorganisms.)

As stated earlier, traditional medicine took another path and refused to look at these
reputable scientists' evidence. However, they are beginning to
research these concepts under the name of Oral Tolerization (without
understanding the whole picture of the connection of growth regulation and immunity). Using
animal organs to facilitate healing of the same organ is not the same concept of the PMG
theory. PMG is the nuclear material that provides the blueprint.
However, animal organs provide small amounts of the PGM material and are therefore of some
benefit.

Traditional medicine still does not understand how wounds are healed. What stimulates the need for repair-what stops the repair after it has been
completed? The cause of the cessation of growth appears to be the
formation of antibodies known as NTAs (natural tissue antibodies) which are formed in
opposition to the growth of an organ or tissue beyond the needs of the body. The NTAs are a combination of the PMG (the antigen) and an antibody.

NTA = PMG + Antibody > releases histamine

The NTA "tie up" excess PMG, thus preventing growth. However, the
histamine that is released can cause damage to the body tissue.
Also, it can cause inflammation or the "autoimmune reaction" observed in disease.

Dr. Lee refined the theories of Bechamp, Rife, Naessens and others and put them to practical
use in formulating protomorphogens for virtually every tissue type.
These PMGs have the potential to rebuild every organ and gland in the body. The concentration gradient both inside and outside the cell regulate this
growth. The "health" of the cell regulates both the concentration
gradient and "health" of the protomorphogen. The concentration and
health of the protomorphogen also regulates the immune system in forming natural tissue
antibodies (NTA). If an excess of PMGs accumulate outside the cell,
normal cell division stops and an excess of autoimmune factor (NTA) can cause damage to the
cell. The PMGs in living systems are "wrapped" in lipoid layers
because of their potential toxicity to a living system. This is
called "hypersensitivity" in immunological terms. The lipoid
"wrapping" can be either incomplete or damaged in disease or malnutrition states.

Because of hypersensitivity, Lee chose not to use human genetic material in formulating his
supplements - but rather to use animal tissue which would be taken orally. The PMGs are processed to be absorbed through the GI tract intact. The animal kingdom is removed from the human so that hypersensitivity is not a large
issue. By providing the genetic material through the PMG, the body
is able to "jump start" the healing process and use the blueprints to reprogram healthy cell
division. Dr. Lee believed that
every disease produced an autoimmune component which through the process of
inflammation prevented normal cell division and caused most of the damage. This fact is being recognized by the medical profession more frequently in various
illnesses.

Protomorphogens (PMGs) have two major functions:

Control healthy cell growth

Regulate immunity

Our own PMGs inhibit cell division. However, when
taken orally in pill form (from other mammals), PMGs stimulate normal cell division and
reduce the autoimmune component by reducing excessive amounts of the natural tissue
antibodies. They stimulate the organ to regenerate new healthy
tissue by supplying the blueprints or by "jump starting" the organ to manufacture more of its
own PMG.

PMGs are taken from specific organs of other mammals-cows or pigs.
In supplying extracts of the specific organ to the organ that is diseased, we can influence
the local nutrient environment of those particular cells. This
increases the activity of the tissue which then increases the
secretion of PMGs so that the net effect is the concentration of PMG is balanced. The tissue
of the organ begins to grow and regenerate normal healthy cells and thus helps to reestablish
normal growth patterns with control.

Summary of PMGs

All cells secrete a relatively stable substance (PMG) as a product
of their metabolism.

Minute amounts of this substance must be present in the media around
the cell for initial cell division to occur.

The accumulation of this substance in the media inhibits mitosis
(cell division) in proportion to its concentration; excessive amounts results in lysis
(death) of the cell.

There is a relationship between the concentration of PMGs in the
cell and outside the cell (media) which explains the lag period and the S curve.

PMGs only inhibit the growth of their own homologous species but
exhibit stimulating effects on other mammalian species.

PMGs found in living organisms are virus-like nucleoprotein
molecules (the antigens of the antigen-antibody complex).

The structural characteristics of the PMG depend on the protein
moiety of the nucleoprotein molecule.

The mineral content of the protein moiety is the stabilizing
influence of the PMG structure which still exists functionally even
if the organic constituents are destroyed. The mineral pattern and
its receptor linkages are what make up the PMGs in pill form used to rebuild tissue.

PMGs are thermostable up to 700 degrees centigrade.

PMGs polymerize to form chain-like molecules

PMGs have an affinity to fibrin which leads to the hypothesis that
they are easily absorbed and stored in connective tissue in the living organism.

You can culture liver cells in a test tube and put kidney
connective tissue in the tube and soon you will have kidney cells instead of liver. This has
been known for years-the reason is that PMGs (which are the blueprints) are stored in
connective tissue so that the PMG of kidneys reprogram the liver cells to produce kidney
cells.

The PMGs are intimately related to allergies because the natural
tissue antibodies release histamine. Balancing organs and glands with PMG and whole nutrients
can effectively reduce or eliminate allergies.

The theory of protomorphogens is fundamentally what stem cell research is about. Dr. Lee gave us a functional way to use stem cell research in the
1930s!

In another article, "Advanced Protomorphology: The Endocrine Masters," I will delve deeper
into the regulatory method of the endoreticular system and normal cell growth. The thymus, spleen, and other endocrine glands along with the liver and bone
marrow play a major role in the human immune response. Since the
endocrine glands are the masters of the human body and they control all the other organs and
glands, it can be readily understood the significant role that oral PMG supplementation could
supply in immune deficient diseases and in fact any disease.
It could be like a liver transplant without surgery!

When you supply the appropriate PMGs plus other vital whole food nutrients, the body
begins to heal itself. Surgery, medicines, herbs and nutrients may
help but they never in and of themselves heal. No one heals you-your
body always effects the healing. This is truly "Healing from the
Inside Out."

The regulation and control of the growth and regeneration process is very
complicated. All of the endocrine glands are involved-particularly
the thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, thymus and spleen. In working with
any illness, I always seek to facilitate the balancing and rebuilding of these endocrine
glands and other organs by the use of PMGs and other whole food supplements.

What a wonderful gift Dr. Lee gave us in the protomorphogens!

References:

Lectures of Dr. Royal Lee, Vol. 1 by Dr. Royal Lee

Protomorphology: The Principles of Cell Auto-Regulation
(1947) by Dr. Royal Lee